The Host Booksigning

I went to the booksigning for Stephenie Meyer's The Host on Tuesday, and Pel, one of the admin from the Twilight Lexicon, asked me to do a write up on it. I figured since people here are fans of the novel as well, I may as well post it here too:

I arrived at the Mall of America at about 1:30PM. They had started selling books at 8AM, and I was told that a handful of people had arrived even earlier than that--as early as 5AM. This is what the line looked like when I first got there:



I bought my copies of The Host. At the start of the line there was a box for submitting questions for Stephenie, which a man walked through the line later on with in case anyone came up with questions as they read The Host.

I sat down to read while I waited for 6PM to come. A note for anyone else who goes so early to wait in line: if possible, bring chairs like the smart people in the photograph! Standing for 4.5 hours or sitting on the floor for that long is not fun!

A glimpse of the room that was slowly but surely filling up with people.

By 3:30PM, that empty half of the room was full of people, and we were asked to get up and squish together to make room for more people. We did so and then all sat back down to wait. Once or twice the Community Relations Manager at the Barnes & Noble at the Mall of America came out to talk to us:



About 15 minutes before Stephenie was due to arrive, he came back out to introduce her. She arrived, and much screaming followed. She told us that she had a presentation planned out, and was going to do a reading, but after finding out that we all would be standing for the entire evening decided against that. Instead, she answered probably 10 or so of the questions from the box.



I caught a few of the questions (and Stephenie's answers!) on camera:
- What inspired The Host?
(video)
- What music was fitting for The Host?
- Why are there blank pages in The Host?
- Will there be sequels for The Host?
(video of the previous 3 questions)
- Do you ever take your kids on tour with you?
(video)
- What characters in The Host did you really enjoy writing?
(video)

Two of the questions were cut off, so here are paraphrased answers:

What inspired The Host?
This answer can be found in a number of articles and I wanted to save space for other questions! One place to find it is at the official The Host website, on the Q&A page.

Will there be sequels for The Host?
Stephenie said that she has outlines for one sequel, and plans for two to make it a trilogy, but doesn't know if she'll write them anytime soon. She mentioned that one reason in particular is that she's grown fond of the characters, and in order for the sequels to be written, characters would need to die and she doesn't want them to.

Another fun thing I'll point out since it's sort of hard to hear in the videos is the 3 songs that Stephenie mentioned are on her The Host playlist:
- Futurism by Muse
- Original of the Species by U2
- My Name is Love by Rob Dickinson

The rest of the playlist will be available on her website once she finishes this leg of the tour and e-mails it to her brother/webmaster.

After the Q&A came the actual book signing, which went very smooth.



I had my books signed by 7:30-8PM or so, and this is what the line looked like after I was finished:



This wasn't even the entire line--it still stretched out down one of the hallways!

I came back for one last peek about quarter to 9 to see how many people were left, and that large central area was still about half full! It was a long night for the workers, fans, and Stephenie!

ETA: I just found a few more videos of the Q&A from the book signing (ones that I didn't film but are on youtube already):
- Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were a child?
- How involved with the Twilight movie were you?

The Host

I just got home and was so sad when I saw that The Host had not yet arrived. Thankfully UPS came through for me and about 8 minutes ago the wonderful brown truck arrived carrying my wonderful treat. I can hardly wait to start reading it, but I have to finish reading my other book first because I am really enjoying it. So thank you Martha for letting me check it out even though you were planning on reading it.

Little Brother, YA Triumphant, and Good Lit

Avid websurfers with an interest in YA literature and good sci-fi might have noticed that on pop-culture web outlet BoingBoing, as well as on diverse blogs from literary luminaries such as Neil Gaiman, John Scalzi, and perennial YA favorite Scott Westerfeld, the new book Little Brother by science fiction sensation Cory Doctorow is causing a minor net-wave about the topics of young adult crossover appeal and where one can find quality science fiction.

It's interesting to me that there is a quiet move within the industry among science-fiction and fantasy authors to pitch to teen readers. The market for young adult books lets these writers be more flexible in what topics they write about, get better covers and more shelf space, and actually helps them sell more books. As several people pointed out, Scott Westerfeld is the biggest name in science fiction who never gets the recognition he deserves simply because the awards in the genre haven't caught up with the new reality of YA's significance. It's also shocking to me how many people - even after Harry Potter - have missed the groundswell of truly great books emerging in the teen section of their bookstore. These discussions also highlight just how cutting-edge the books available to teenagers have become; there's a second thread on Scalzi's blog that highlights the problems that adult science-fiction faces by comparison. It suggests a lot of interesting things to be aware of -- both that this genre may have its best books already on the YA shelves, but that there may be just as many excellent 'adult' sci-fi and fantasy genre books on the standard sf/f shelves that might have gotten much more attention if only they had been marketed or written 'younger'.

But to circle back again, it's also worth noting that Doctorow, who brought up the topic of the undiscovered country of great YA on the BoingBoing article, is savvy enough to put this awesome book up for download. That's right -- his critically acclaimed sci-fi tale of one teenager against a Homeland Security run amok, Big-Brother-versus-Little-Brother in a good old fashioned showdown, can be read for free download through Creative Commons license. I advise you take a look -- this is highly touted as one of the most important books this year in genre fiction, YA or not, and its buzz is inching towards Twilight-and-Potter huge.

THE HOST

Stephenie Meyer was in the area today. Did we go. NOOOOOO it is so sad that we were not able to go. I am depressed I am hoping to buy the book soon. It seems like it will be good even though it is not going to be like Twilight.

I have won

I really have no clue what contest that I had the luck of winning. I ended up getting LOVE (AND OTHER USES FOR DUCT TAPE) in the mail today with a note from Carrie Jones congratulating me on my win.

The ironic thing about me getting this book is that i was in the library earlier today looking at it and ended up taking the copy of Jump the Cracks instead, i was planning on getting this one later on in the week and what a coincidence.

Literary Controversy: The Twilight Movie -- good or bad?

As we hit the end of the school year, one interesting question dominates most of our readers:

Just how bad - or good - will the Twilight m0vie adaptation be?

Thus far, the controversy rages, in part because Twilight is a fan phenomenon that has missed a large part of the mainstream even yet. That is to say, the big fans are already nitpicking 'getting it right', when those who've never heard of it are so far behind that they don't even know there is something to get wrong. Witness articles like this, after all.

There's a lot of casting controversy; now that some of the 'that's not my Bella and Edward!' has died down, the latest source of scream is 'that's not my Jacob Black!', as Taylor Lautner (Shark Boy from Shark Boy and Lava Girl, natch) has been cast as Jacob. Personally, I can't get over Peter Facinelli as Carlisle Cullen -- I keep thinking, 'The guy from Fastlane, that failed series on Fox, is the family patriarch? Really?'. But I'm old.

So weigh in: how bad is it gonna get?

Sara Zarr is Really Awesome, Part 2: The Interview

I knew Sara was going to be a lot of fun to work with and promote at our library from the very first time I peeked at her blog and websites after reading Sweethearts. The questions that follow come from book club members, students who wrote in during National Library Week, and library staff -- bet you can't guess which question comes from me. Thank you SO MUCH, Sara -- you've gone above and beyond for our library and our students!


The question you probably hear the most comes first: What inspires you to write?
There's a quote that I think comes from Flannery O'Connor, and it's something like, "The only adequate response to a work of art is another work of art." I'm inspired by great music, books, movies, paintings, dance... Engaging with something artistic gets me itching to create something of my own. In terms of actual story ideas inspiring me enough to do the work, I've found that the best way for my brain to come up with ideas is if it's sort of blank for awhile---the kind of blank you get on a long drive, or staring out a bus window, or sitting on the porch doing nothing.


What's the most challenging part of writing books? Do you find it a challenge in general, or have you found ways of making it easy?
It's never easy. When I finished my first book, I thought it would get easier after that. It doesn't. Every book requires something different and I always feel like I don't know what I'm doing. I think one of the most challenging parts is having the discpline to do what I describe in my answer to #1. It's weird that doing nothing would require discipline, but with so much technology available all the time it actually takes a lot for me to say, okay, now I'm going to stare into space for awhile and not check my email or look at my cell phone or text my husband or see what's on my DVR. I think I've developed ADD over the past 10 years because of all the technology, and now I have to force myself to daydream, which is something that used to come so naturally.


The SPOILER QUESTION: Those of us who read Sweethearts really want to know – why did things have to almost come full circle again for Jenna and Cameron, specifically their separation at the end?
I got a fanmail the other day from a reader who had loved the book, but wondered by Jenna and Cameron had to end up being miserable instead of happy. Here's my answer: I don't see them or their ending as miserable at all. They came back together in high school, and resolved what they could resolve, and were strengthened by their re-connection - strengthened to do what they each needed to do in their individual lives. And this time, even if it's a little delayed, Cameron says goodbye and we're assured that Jenna will always know how to find him. I'm convinced they'll always be important in one another's lives, and will always be there for each other when they need to. I just couldn't see, given who they each are and their histories, any way to make it realistic for them to end up together in the traditional way we think of love. But that's one of the things I wanted to explore in the book---the different kinds of love we can have for people, and the complicated, difficult, important relationships that we start to form as we move into adulthood

How do you find the discipline and patience for the process of writing-and-rewriting? What helps you revise what's already finished?
I wish I knew! Every time I finish a book and all the revising is done, I kind of look at it and go, Wow, how'd I do that? It's a little bit of a miracle every time. My editor is a huge help, of course, because when I'm satisfied with something the way it is she pushes me to do better. She's like a coach who has seen my potential and will never let me come in under the bar. Deadlines help a lot. The fact that I've been paid and I have to get this book done or else give back the money helps. Knowing that even though when I'm on mile 17 of the marathon it's really painful and I want to quit (hey, 17 miles is darn good!), ultimately I'll be happier if I go all the way helps. Before I sold a book, my competitive spirit and desire to be published was what drove me.

You've said before that you had some difficulty with your early efforts to get published. What changes did you make that made the biggest difference between your early efforts and the successes of your two books to follow?
Part of it was just time and patience and practice. When you do something for ten years and seek out advice and criticism and help, you naturally get better. When I wrote the first draft of what became Story of a Girl, I knew that it would be the book I'd never give up on. I'd written three books before that and didn't stick with them the way I did with Story. My passion for that story and those characters helped push me across the divide between unpublished and published. One of the best things I did while writing that book was join a writers group. Everyone in the group was a better writer than me, and I learned a ton and also felt like I had something to prove---that I belonged there. My writing improved by leaps and bounds during that time.

If you weren't a writer, what job would you most love to have?
It would still have to be some form of storytelling, so I'd love to either be a singer/songwriter or a writer/director.

Have you ever considered writing a series? On that note – what are you thinking of writing about next after Sweethearts? (The series idea is only sort of a hint, we swear.)
I had an idea for a series once, about kids in a high school drama department. But a series is a big commitment. What if you get sick of the characters? Maybe someday. Right now I'm working on my third book for Little, Brown and it's a bit different in style and tone from my first two, but still realistic fiction.

What books meant the most to you as a teenager? What are your favorite books now?
Young adult fiction was sort of in a golden age when I was a teen in the eighties. There wasn't nearly as much of it as there is now, but what was there was new and innovative and really, really good. I loved Robert Cormier and M.E. Kerr, particularly. I still read a ton of YA, and realistic fiction is still my favorite. I also try to read poetry (it helps keep my brain in shape for thinking about language in different ways), and I like adult fiction that is realistic and not too overwrought with useless description. In other words, I like adult fiction that's like YA fiction, but with adult characters! Tom Perrotta or Anne Tyler, for example.

The OTHER SPOILER QUESTION: So much of your first two books are all about teenagers who have new identities they either build or have thrust upon them, and how those images may be only part of the truth. Why do these questions of identity appeal to you as writing topics/as good YA topics of interest?
Identity is the fundamental issue we grapple with our whole lives, I think. We're born into a family and get our identity from that family. Then somewhere along the way---usually in adolescence---we struggle with and against that identity. That continues at least through college, and for me through my twenties and into my early thirties. I might be finally figuring some things out now, but then when I get to my forties will I have a midlife identity crisis? And then beyond that, in my sixties and seventies when I start thinking about the end of life, will I have another identity change? Who we are, who we believe ourselves to be, the way others see us, what we project vs. what we feel inside...all of those things contain so much drama. In adolescence, the drama is really compressed and exacerbated by physical change and all the decisions you have to start making that you never made before, and that's just a simmering cauldron of dramatic potential!

Finally: If you could tell your teenaged self some things about your life as a writer now, what would you say?
Don't be afraid. Not of failure, not of success, not of trying new things. You really can't fail at this---the only failure would be not trying at all. Also: watch less TV and stare into space more.

That's it! Thanks again, so much!
Thank you!

ARC Madness!

The wonderful folks at Flux, including up-and-coming author Maggie Stiefvater, who deserves much credit for her help -- have sent us a whole bunch of advance release copies of new YA books. This includes Maggie's book (which is so brand-spanking-new that the galleys I have aren't even really in book form), and a half-dozen other really great titles that will be hitting the shelves someday -- but not yet. That's right -- ever wanted to get a sneak peek at books so new that nobody else can read them, and maybe give feedback to their publisher? Because they'd like you to!

Flux was also kind enough to send some swag -- there's bookmarks! -- and offer to see what they might do about an event at our library in the future. THANKS, GUYS -- most especially Maggie and her editor Andrew! You're aces in our book.

Stop by my desk for more information on the goodies!

Sara Zarr is Really Awesome, Part One

Hi guys!

Some of you have seen the little pink-hearted invitations I've been prepping for National Library Week -- and some of you have even seen the little boxes of candy that go with them. We've got somebody very important to thank for that -- the author of one of the most popular new books in the library, Sara Zarr. Sara was nice enough to send us a whole lot of boxes of the promotional Sweethearts candy that were made to promote Sweethearts, her latest novel. You can find out more about Sara in the display in the library.

Sara's first book, Story of a Girl, was widely praised and was nominated for a National Book Award for 2007; Sweethearts is meeting with just as much praise. Of the new books we purchased lately that I've read, this one is the standout and not to be missed. (Yes, Steffi -- there is a hot guy in it.)

But it doesn't stop with candy and great reading. Next week, Sara's agreed to answer Q&A for us on this blog! This is a great opportunity to connect with a real up-and-coming author and learn more about the writing life, and her books. Please brainstorm questions here, or in person in the library, and encourage others to participate!

April Showers Bring A Bunch of Contests

YA Books Central just put up its list of April giveaways and contests, including the extremely well-reviewed The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by popular author E. Lockhart of The Boyfriend Book and Dramarama fame. This is said to be her best book yet, so don't miss out.

Also of interest: Meg Cabot's journal has a contest to win the British editions of several of her books, including the new Pants on Fire. These have different and unique covers from the usual books you'll find in stores, and a few have very different titles. Check it out and email her to win if you're a Cabot fan!

Prestige Plus...Pizza!

On Thursday, April 17th, we will be showing the movie The Prestige for Read It 1st. Because it is also National Library Week, as well as the last Read it 1st event of the year, we've decided to do something special.

Sign up in the library and bring us $2 to cover costs, and we'll buy pizza from Pizza Corral or T-Joe's to share during the movie, in addition to our regular snacks! The movie shows at 4pm, so it's not long after school. Newcomers welcome!

Want Lock and Key?

We've already received our copy of Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key here at HHS, but if you're interested in getting your own copy of her latest book, Sarah is holding her first-ever contest! Follow the directions here on her website to be entered to win. Sign up before April 20th to meet the contest deadline!

What I am Reading

Well with all of the wonderful new books that we got at the library, I have been doing a lot of reading. Since Martha wants people to blog I thought that I would tell you about all the wonderful books that I have been reading.
The first book that I read was The Red Queen's Daughter. I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and the one character is so hot that it makes up for any thing that the book is lacking.
The next one that I read was Wicked Lovely. This book is the first book in a series and I am now looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I really loved it and am glad that I took a chance on it.
At this time I am reading Change of Heart. It seems to be good so far and I hope to have it finished soon. I have a lot of other books that I checked out and they look interesting and I hope to have finished them within the next 2 weeks.

The Library's Got New Books!

Thanks so much to Nathan and Anthony for helping me when doing some end-of-the-year purchasing at Barnes and Noble last week! We've got about eighty new titles that should be on the shelves just before Spring Break.

Here's a few you might want to try:

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray: This book ends the series begun in A Great and Terrible Beauty, the story of Victorian heroine Gemma Doyle and her growth to leadership and mastery in the secret and magic realm that is her birthright. While I haven't read this book yet, it's not for lack of pressure -- everyone who's read it wants everyone else to finish as soon as possible so they can discuss it.

How NOT to be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler: Sugar Magnolia - or Maggie, as she prefers - used to love her parents' rootless hippie lifestyle, and their habit of moving across the country from year to year. But as the new school year begins, she's leaving behind a best friend, a social life, even a boyfriend she was really serious about back in Portland. Brokenhearted, Maggie Dempsey decides that in Austin, her family's new destination, rather than open herself up to further pain by connecting with people, she is going to do everything she can NOT to be popular. Whatever it takes, even if that means wearing flowered plastic swim caps and Star Trek uniforms, hanging out with do-gooding losers, and turning down the hot guy who just won't leave her alone. So begins this book's comedy-movie premise, and it's a winner. Many of you were not fans of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. Maggie shares some of Stargirl's tactics for not fitting in, but I found it a lot easier to cheer for her than the somewhat preachy Stargirl. The reader is given plenty of reason to empathize with Maggie, and her reasons for her weirdness are much clearer and less idealized. Funny stuff, and for our male readers who might hesitate -- it's more comic than girly.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman: Gaiman may be best known to readers of this blog as 'the fella who wrote Stardust', or for the more savvy, 'the mind behind the Sandman comics'. This is perhaps his best-received book, the story of a drifter hired by a man who may or may not be Odin to participate in a war brewing between all the gods of the old world who migrated to America with their believers. It's a story that's sort of like the big brother to the Percy Jackson books, and easily one of the best fantasy novels of the last ten years. Gaiman is almost always worth a look if fantasy's your pick.

Speaking of graphic novels, both Flight and Fables are great places to start if you haven't read much in comics but would like to start. We now have both of the starting volumes of Fables, Bill Willingham's fantasy comic of displaced fairy tales living in America as refugees after a faceless Adversary drove them from the Homelands they remember. A tough (and divorced) Snow White leads Fabletown with the assistance of one Bigby Wolf (get it?), but her ex-husband Prince Charming, troublemaker Jack, and her bitter younger sister Rose Red all pose problems within the Fable community hidden just out of sight of 'Mundy' eyes. It's a story that's more Grimm Brothers than Disney - the second volume has plenty of violence, and takes its name from Orwell, after all. Flight, on the other hand, is a multi-story volume from some of the hottest new names in comics, all about different kinds of flight - from planes to rockets to kites in the sky, to the funny story of a girl who wakes up one day with wings. I've got a personal commission from one of the artists, Bill Mudron, and let me tell you - he's one of the many huge talents in this book, which is worth it just for the beautiful art alone.

Take a look!

Stephenie Meyer TOUR!

Stephenie Meyer is touring for her new science fiction book The Host -- and she's coming to our area!

Her tour begins at none other than the Mall of America starting on Tuesday, May 6th. Logistics for attending are a bit difficult -- see Stephenie's website for details for wristbands for the signing -- but for those of you who are wild about her work, the information on how to attend can be found there.

Another contest!

Author S. A. Harazin, whose debut novel Blood Brothers has received a great deal of attention and acclaim - including, most recently, an Edgar nomination for best YA mystery fiction of 2007 - gives an interview on Jessica Burkhart's blog. Those who comment to the blog will be entered in a contest to win copies of this book!

Ms. Harazin's a neat lady, and I've talked with her before about doing a blog-interview of our own for HHS Reads. In point of fact, there's at least four to six different authors who would be willing to do Q&A here on our very own book blog, whose books you will be seeing more of this spring and next fall in the library. Is there interest in an event like this? Would you all be interested in reading the work of various authors and getting to do more author-contact and questions?

Blog For Books, Win Fabulous Prizes--

Hi everybody,

Since we'd like to see you use the blog more often, both for book club and for your own use relating to discussion of books you enjoy and would recommend to others, we're going to try out a new promotion here on the HHS Reads blog.

Many of you already participate in our monthly Reading Incentive drawing for the prizes found in our back room, including Barnes and Noble gift certificates, books, t-shirts, and other swag. For every three posts and/or comments you make to the HHS Reads blog, you will receive a stamp to your card, the same as if you had read 100 pages. A little regular participation in talking about the same books you read could net you twice as many opportunities to win in the drawing!

Speaking of neat prizes, consider taking a look at the TeenReadsToo Contests Page for March -- they're giving away over 100 different prizes this month! Included in this giveaway are fifteen (!) copies of Sarah Dessen's newest, Lock and Key, as well as other great authors such as Carrie Jones and Edward Bloor. To enter, send ONE email to their contest email address found on their webpage, and be entered in their drawings for ALL their prizes -- how easy is that?

As proof that contests online for books can get you some amazing opportunities, I present the contest for Jim C. Hines's Goblin Quest Trilogy held by the author and DAW Fantasy Books recently -- my entry on behalf of Holmen High was selected, and Jim is sending us a signed set of his trilogy for the library!

Jodi Picoult Appearances!

Popular author Jodi Picoult (late of our HHS Reads selection The Tenth Circle fame) is appearing in Wisconsin and Minnesota next week to promote her latest book, Change of Heart!

Jodi is appearing:

Thursday March 13 MADISON, WI 7 PM at Borders Books, 3750
University Avenue, 630-574-0800

Friday March 14 EDINA, MN 7:30 PM at Barnes & Noble, 3225
W 69th Street, 952-920-0633

Library Events for March

Just a few notes and updates from the library --

March 3-7 is Teen Tech Week! To celebrate, watch for our display to go up in the Circle of Life this week, and please consider attending our event on Tuesday, March 4 -- the blogstravaganza, our afterschool exploration of blogs and their uses. This will be held by Ms. Foster in the 129 Lab.

Also the first week in March, Read it 1st is watching and reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven. The movie will be shown at 4pm on Thursday, March 6th, and discussion will take place during all three lunches on March 7th. You can find the reading guide here.

Our next HHS Reads book is Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. Teenage Liz is hit by a car and passes on, only to discover that being dead is all about getting a life. You can find the reading guide for Elsewhere here.

Pick up your copy of either of these books in the LMC today!

Breaking Dawn - Breaking News!

Via Stephenie Meyer's website, the release date for Breaking Dawn, the anticipated fourth book in the Twilight series, will be August 2, 2008 - only six more months to wait! The newest book is available for pre-order via Amazon or Barnes and Noble as of today.